If you are preparing for a child custody case it is imperative to hire a family law lawyer specializing in child custody. These types of cases can easily become complicated and far too complex for the average individual to handle, resulting in outcomes less than what is desired. After you hire a great lawyer to represent you in court, make sure that you provide as much assistance to the lawyer as possible. You’ll really help your case tremendously when you work with your lawyer.

Some of the Information to Provide your Child Custody Lawyer:

Names, date of birth of each Child

Your lawyer will need the name and date of birth of each child that you have and wish to retain custody of. It can also be beneficial if you provide your address, or the address where each child currently resides, as well as the schools that they currently attend.

Social Security Numbers

Your lawyer may need the social security numbers of your children, so be sure that this information is easily accessible to the lawyer. There are many reasons why he could require the social security numbers of the children.

Other Parental Information

You need to provide as much information about the other parent as possible. Information that can be helpful to the lawyer include the other parent’s full name, date of birth, current address, social security number and telephone number, if this information is known.

History of Violence

It is imperative that you inform your lawyer of any abuse history with your former spouse/ lover. This information can greatly help you retain custody of the children and may even limit the time that the spouse can spend around the children.

Other Court Cases

Is your spouse involved with any kind of criminal activity? Your lawyer needs to know this information. How about your children? Again, vital information that you can provide to your lawyer.

Is there a Child Support Order?

Your lawyer may be able to help you get child support during the custody hearing if there is currently no order in place. If you do have an open case for support, have the child support case number available to give to the lawyer.

Help your Lawyer Help You

Collect all of the above information before your first visit with your lawyer. Being well-prepared will help speed the case along as well as ensure that you get the best outcome in your child custody case.